The discovery of ground graves at the Neolithic burial complex Vengerovo-2a in Baraba forest-steppe (archaeological and geophysical research)

We analyze here the results of archaeological and geophysical studies of the Neolithic burial complex Vengerovo-2A (Vengerovo district, Novosibirsk region) in 2015. We present the planigraphic and stratigraphic characteristics, detected by geophysical monitoring of the ground burials and accompying burial pits. Burial №2 was the elongated oval pit. At its bottom were found in situ foot bones of adult individual, as well as some scattered bones without anatomical order. Burial № 3 leveled the natural soil over the elongated deep pit with hearth place. The filling of this pit is similar to the previously studied trenches of the burial-ritual complexes in this site. Secondary burial is represented by thigh, left shin and cubit bones of the adult individual. Position of bones in both burials suggests that the buried were originally laid on their back stretched his headlong to NE. The burial assemblage consist of stone flakes, and knife blades, and an ornamented fragment of the tubular bone (pincushion?) and is similar to Neolithic burial complexes of Irtysh region and Upper Ob Region. Near the graves we found a few fragments of pottery with a simplified horizontal-wavy ornamentation made in retreat-stroke technique and related to Artynsky Neolithic culture. Orientation of the graves, position of the buried, typical accompanying equipment, situation of the graves at the edge of the terrace permit to synchronize these burials with previously studied burial-ritual complexes at this site and date them to the Neolithic time. The burial ceremony and the accompanying assemblage from the studied ground graves at this burial complex is generally typical of known burial complexes in the steppe Irtysh region, but they are distinguished by a combination of a collective burial and ritual constructions, grouped under the mounds.